Existing
by DarkRaven454
Summary: She has been tortured, abused, and broken. She has lost the only thing that ever gave her life meaning, and now she's just existing and surviving. Maybe she can find a new reason to live in the form of a rough, tough emotionally damaged redneck. Who also wields a crossbow.


**Message from the author: This is my first story. If people like it I'll continue the story. Please review, like, and leave suggestions. There will be some OCs in this story. It's before Daryl and Merle meet the Atlanta group. Daryl has blue eyes. Yada yada yada..let the story begin.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead. If I did Daryl would end up with Rick or some bad chick.**

Chapter 1

Home that was what she used to call the small country town where everybody knew everyone. Where you could walk outside and feel the crisp country air rush through your lungs and fill your body and mind with an uncanny sense of calm and peace. Where if you walked out your back door you could take off toward the lush forest that surrounded you and not be seen for days. Where if tragedy struck someone the whole town was there to lend a helping hand and a home cooked meal. That was her ideal home while spending her youth growing up in a smog polluted city so squeezed together with people who would rather watch you burn then spit on you if you were on fire. That was his ideal home too.

But home was long gone. The streets so filled with life and joyous faces were abandoned with arrays of carnage thrown throughout them. The air that was once so fresh to inhale burned her with smoke and the stench of decay. The lights that guided you in the dark were snuffed out or left flickering unsteadily causing vast shadows to cast illusions in her eyes. Home. Half her home was burned away and the other half lay crumbling under her feet with monsters lurking in each crevice. She had no where to turn. No where to call a safe haven. No where to call anymore, yet she wondered the lone town searching and praying for anything familiar to have survived, but she was alone and scared. She should have left weeks ago when most of the town had decided the news broadcasting channels were to much to bare or understand, but her pride would not let her abandon her home and by the time her pride wore thin it was already too late. The cost of her foolish pride was expensive, and she unwillingly paid the price. A gasp escaped her chapped lips, echoing around her in the quiet. Too soon to think about that.

So, she stumbled through the destruction not knowing where to go; where was safe. Her limbs were numbed from exhaustion; barely managing the strength to keep her going and hold the pistol gripped tight in her hands. Her eyes were drooping with tiredness and burning with sweat. she knew she had to get somewhere temporarily safe to hold up in for the night to rest or she was not going to last any longer. Maybe that was not such a bad thing, though. A sudden piercing moan shattered her depressing thoughts. Hope clouded the logical part of her brain, as a sudden bolt of energy helped pump her legs and sharpen her sight as she took off down the darkened alley. She rounded the corner of the alley and was caught off guard coming face to face with a pair of blood red eyes lusting with a primal hunger and froze. Her knees wobbled unsteadily and her pistol clattered to the pavement with an ear shattering echo. The last thing she saw were her frightened blue eyes reflected against red, followed by the crack of a gunshot, then darkness.

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Sunlight was peaking through the window casting a peaceful warmth onto the bed. Suddenly, a shrill alarm echoed around her causing the lump on the bed, she was_ _watching from afar, to tumble out of the bed in a mess of tangled blankets and limbs. Giggles escaped her as a sleep dazed face stared at her from the floor, and like_ _that the race was on. She ran with him gaining on her with his mess of blankets dragging behind him. She was too slow, and he grabbed her around the waist_ _throwing her gently unto the bed. Laughter echoes around the room, but as he bends in for a kiss, the laughter fades away._

 _ **End Flashback**_

Warmth was encircling her body easing the uncomfortable numbness long ago familiar to her body. Her body felt at ease, erasing the terror clutching her mind. Her eyes no longer burned from sweat or tears. Her hair felt light, casually caressing her cheeks with wispy tenderness. The grime and blood that seemed to encase her body was no longer begging for her fingers to rub herself raw. A rough southern drawl echoed above her. She was home, wrapped within his strong comforting arms. She was safe. Suddenly the whisper of another voice broke into her dream world, this one was female. Followed by another and another. All kinds of different voices whispered above her.

Gone was the warmth replaced replaced again by a familiar harsh numbness. Gone was the ease of her body replaced by the burn of wounds old and new. Gone was the cleanliness, replaced by the smell of her own body odor and the irritating itch of dried blood. Gone were his arms she so desired to be held in, replaced by a deep heartbreaking sorrow. Home was gone, she had to remember that. Being safe no longer existed in this life. The whispers above her had gone quiet, and a soft hand touched her cheek causing her to realize there was a familiar wetness rolling down her face. Now was not the time to cry. Later she would mourn. She opened her eyes and was met by a dim light and a gentle, elderly face shrouded by a halo of white hair. Soft understanding grey eyes gazed into hers. A soft voice caressed her ears,

"Are you bit? "

A sigh almost escaped her chapped lips. This was the world now. No question of are you O.K. Just the basic questions to prevent anything happening to yourself in the long run. Instinctual need for survival formed in the simplest of questions and gestures. The elderly face twisted into a grimace at her hesitation to answer.

" No, I'm no bit or scratched. I'm..." The word "fine" seemed to much of a lie to herself and these people, because no one was "fine" anymore.

" I'm here, " she answered. And that was all she was really; here looking for answers and some form of forgiveness. Hell, she was not even surviving anymore, but her answer seemed to ease the tension in the room. A rough, sarcastic scoff echoed throughout the room causing her gaze to shift to the corner above the elderly woman's shoulder.

There in the corner stood a lean, muscular frame of a man probably in his late twenties, just a little older then herself. He was covered in grime. His clothes and face barely recognizable, but she could still tell he was a handsome man enough from this distance. A small wicked looking smirk was playing on his lips and his eyes shown brightly in the light behind his unruly, dark brown hair. A bright blue that was so expressive she could see the irritation at the situation flickering through them, those his face gave nothing away. Eyes so wasted on a man. Eyes that were so familiar to her. She closed her eyes tightly and exhaled. The gasp of air almost sounding like a sob echoing around the room. The warm hand found its way to her face again. Her eyes flashed open quickly, not wanting to allow herself weakness in front of these strangers. The hand withdrew quickly, almost like the woman was afraid she was going to take a bit out of her. She hoped her eyes conveyed her apology to the kind woman for startling eased herself up and quickly took a glance around her.

She knew the place instantly. They were holed up in the basement of the towns' pharmacy. A few of the lights still flickered dimly above their heads. Lit candles were also scattered around the room. She noticed there were five more people scattered through the room besides the elderly the woman and the blue eyed man in the corner.

The first one that drew her eye was was the skinny, frame of a pale complected teenage girl that could not be more than sixteen, sitting on a crate and gazing down at her swinging legs. Butchered blonde hair hung limply framing her face. Her clothes were like the man's in the corner, so covered in grime they were unrecognizable. She caught the girl's gaze briefly before the girl looked away again quickly. She felt a sob build up in her throat when she saw the jagged ugly scar running from the girl's forehead, over her left eye, and stopping at her chin. Someone or something had carved the girl's face so she could not see out of her left eye. The sob had died almost instantly when she caught the lone, mischievous green eye before it was gone. It held a fiery light in it that she had not seen in forever. A light that reflected the old world. A light that was filled with hope and happiness. A light they needed in this new world.

The next people to draw her attention were the obvious couple standing beside the girl. They were grasping each other like a lifeline. The man was built. Broad shoulders connecting to thick arms. He was tall. His figure was towering over the small female wrapped in his arms. His skin was a brilliant, honey color. Black spiked hair set on top of his head. Black eyes were gazing lovingly at the woman in his arms. While she could not see the woman's face, she noticed how pale shoulders shook with silent sobs while the man moved to gently stroke through her copper, colored hair. An irrational stroke of a mixture of longing and irritation coursed through her. She wanted to open her mouth and rage against them for their weak affections, but she also wanted to tell them how lucky they were to still have each other and how they needed to keep it that way. Instead she remained silent with her inner turmoil. She could not state her doubts about something she could not understand or have anymore.

The last two people she turned two were both men. The first was a dark-skinned man that had eased his wiry frame comfortably into a stiff looking chair. His legs were propped up on an empty crate while his arms were thrown behind his head. A handgun was wrapped in one while he carelessly waved it above his head. He looked to be in his early twenties. Dark, chocolate hair curled almost gracefully on top of his head. He seemed to have sensed her eyes on him, because his eyes shot open and locked onto hers. A languid smirk played against his lips as he looked at her, but it quickly turned into a frown. Deep brown eyes gazed into hers, almost as if he could see into her soul. As if he knew all the horrors that lurked in her past. She swiftly looked away from him. The guilt, sorrow, and pain she had hid deep down in her soul would not be exploited by those all knowing eyes.

Her gaze wondered toward the last man in the room. He was leaning against one of the pharmacy's medicine cabinets with the flickering candle light barely making him visible. She could tell from his stance that he was taller than herself. She could also tell he was in very good shape judging from the outline of his arms. As her gaze traveled up his figure, he suddenly lent more forward into the light and locked eyes with her. His head was shaved and he was older than she would have predicted from his physique, but something about him caused her instincts to regard him as a threat. The air froze in her lungs. As if sensing her unease one corner of his face lifted in an unpleasant smirk and he started taking long graceful strides toward her. She was frozen in terror with her eyes looked onto his. Coal black soulless eyes held her heart in a vice. The look in his eyes reminded her of the demons' eyes that haunted her dreams. He was close enough now for her to smell the putrid stench of his body odor mixed with the underlying hint of alcohol. He slowly walked around her and settled at her back settling a calloused hand on her bare shoulder with his grip being a little to tight for friendly. She felt herself being dragged down into the depths of her memories by her demons. She could feel the cold brush of phantom hands as they grasped her, stripped her, and hurt her. A rough harsh voice right against her left ear brought her back to reality,

" I think princess here is lying. I mean look at her. She's covered in blood. She has bandages wrapped all over her. I'd bet money she's bit. I think the right thing to do here is to kill the stupid bitch before she decides one of us will make a good snack." As if to add a dramatic flourish to his threat, she felt the cold press of gun barrel against her right temple. She went instantly tense reigning in her instinct to flinch away from the gun. He would not get any satisfaction knowing she was uneasy. Instead she pushed her head closer to the gun daring the man to pull the trigger. She felt a satisfied hum vibrate along her spine from the man as he leaned forward touching his chest against her back. He seemed to like her defiance in the face of death. The older lady, who was still standing by her side, let out a gasp at the man's action. Her meek voice filled the room sounding almost hysterical,

" How do you know she's not telling the truth? We're all covered in blood. Are you really going to kill the only person we've found in this town. She might know where we can find some supplies. Please be sensible before you do this. There's so few of us left, Merle. You can't do this. " The gun left the side of her head and from the quiet gasp she heard coming from the older lady's direction she guessed it had found a new target in the form of the kind lady. The grip on her shoulder was beginning to become crushing. She could feel her bones bending under the weight of the his hand. She heard another gun click across the room and saw that the young girl had jumped up and was aiming her gun at "Merle" with a fierce expression on her face. The life in her singular green eye was replaced with the fierce ice of a killer. A chair scraped loudly across the floor as the lazy looking man hoped to his feet with an angry look gracing his casual face. The gun was twirling dangerously in his hand, so different from the careless way he had previously been twirling it before. That man was dangerous in the way he could make you underestimate him just by the way he held himself. If she survived this, she would have to remember that. The lady's sobbing in the corner had grown louder at the change in the room. The man's arm squeezed her tighter a fierce look entering his eyes. Whether it was from the fact that a gun was pointed at the older lady's head or the fact that this "Merle" person had made his woman's crying worse she did not know. The last one to make a move was the blue eyed man in the corner. He seemed almost casual in the way he lent forward, but the look in those blue eyes gave him away. He was angry. His rage encased the room causing the tense atmosphere to increase. "Merle" began to talk hastily from behind her. He most have sensed his mistake at pointing the gun at one of his supposed group.

" What are you going to do Nancy? Stop me! That's a joke. I've protected this little group from every danger, this bitch is no different. Dawn, if you're gonna aim that gun at me you had better intend to pull the trigger. Don't even give me that look either Daryl. You know it's a possibility and you also know that no one is to question my orders. That includes you, Nancy." Merle's voice rang loudly through the room. The girl, who she's assuming was Dawn, suddenly dropped the gun at the harsh yell of her name and fell back onto her seat with shaking legs. The older woman, Nancy, let out another sob and slowly made her way to Dawn and grabbed her head and pressed it gently into her stomach, as if shielding the girl from the terror of what was going to come. Nancy locked eyes with her in a silent apology for not succeeding in helping her. She shook her head hoping to get the message that it wasn't her fault across as the gun pressed back against her temple. The atmosphere in the room was still tense. The couple in the corner had turned away from her direction after Merle's commanding voice. The man near the couple was still twirling his gun in his hand judging the situation with calculating eyes. She felt her gaze sweeping toward the bright blue eyed figure in the corner. A frown was marring his face, but she didn't care. She just wanted to look into those familiar eyes and feel home one last time.

" Do you have anything to say? I love it when they beg and plead. " Merle's unpleasant breath ghosted against her ear as he asked his mocking question.

" You seemed to have made up your mind all on your own big boy. Pull the fucking trigger or back the fuck off me because I won't beg or plead. " Her voice sounded unfamiliar to her ears. It was harsh and rough from the weight of her anger and tiredness. Those bright blue eyes widened fractionally at what she said and the way she leaned back into the gun. She allowed herself to close her eyes almost in relief at the thought of going home. She heard the click of the gun cocking, and then a low curse from behind her. The gun lowered from her head as a rough hand sweep forward to swipe briefly against her neck where the hidden mark from a demon lay. Why was he touching her mark. She did not ponder on it for long as the weight against her back was suddenly thrown away from her with the sound of flesh hitting flesh and a loud curse. Blunt nails dug harshly into her shoulder and across the mark on her neck. A surprised gasp tore from her lips as she felt the warm trickle of blood flow down her skin. Her eyes shot open in surprise and they locked with determined blue. The man was standing in front of her. One of his hands was casually rubbing over the knuckles of his other hand where they seemed to have split open from the impact of connecting with Merle. A curse came from the crumbled Merle behind her,

" Damn, Daryl, I had lowered the fucking gun. You didn't have to break my nose. I was just testing to see if she was telling the truth. Shit, though, that was a good swing son. " This was followed by a small laugh and she wondered dizzily if she had imagined the whole ordeal that had just happened as the atmosphere immediately lessened its tense hold. The man, whose name she assumed was Daryl. casually walked around her with a tight smile that almost resembled a grimace. She felt a nauseous feeling latch onto her as the man's arm casually brushed against her. He went right around her never uttering a word. The scent of musky cologne and full flavored cigarettes filled her senses long after he had passed her. He smelt like the fresh Earthy tones of the woods. A hand latching onto hers brought her out of her trance and face to face with the concerned face of Nancy.

" Let me take a look at that for you. " Her voice sounded concerned. She could probably handle the scratches herself, but Nancy seemed to want to do it. She nodded her head hesitantly in agreement. She hoped distantly that surviving was not going to come back with a vengeance later with this group of people.

End Chapter 1


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